The dos and don’ts of biochemical methane potential (BMP) tests: A checklist

Anaerobic digestion of wastes and other organic substrates produces energy-rich biogas. Biochemical methane potential (BMP) is a substrate-specific metric that quantifies the maximum amount of methane that could be produced per unit of substrate. Although numerous guidelines describe BMP determination in detail and several automated commercial systems are available, many studies and peer-reviewed publications continue to report problematic and even obviously inaccurate results. This contribution introduces a comprehensive checklist for BMP testing that consolidates typical requirements, common challenges, potential pitfalls, and useful supporting resources to ensure BMP data are accurate, consistent, and of high quality.